As video advertising continues to grow across the board, marketers and agencies alike are focusing more and more on social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and Periscope to launch digital media advertising campaigns.A June 2016 study by Trusted Media Brands (TMB) and Advertiser Perceptions showed large percentages of US agencies and marketers increasing their budgetary commitments to digital video advertising overall, and to programmatic video advertising specifically. A majority of agency respondents said their video and programmatic video ad budgets would increase in the 12 months following the survey, while nearly all other agency respondents said budgets would stay the same. The numbers were more modest among marketers, with larger percentages keeping budgets at current levels than increasing them.Another study done by Videology showed that viewability was the most prevalent campaign objective for US digital video advertisers, with 43% of respondents choosing that parameter. Clickthrough and viewthrough rates ranked second and third, respectively.

Those results aren’t surprising, but it’s noteworthy that in the previous quarter VTR registered higher than CTR in Videology’s study. This could be an indication that video advertisers are starting to prioritize direct-response objectives—typically not a forte of video advertising, but increasingly under consideration as advertising shifts to in-feed social environments such as Facebook, Twitter and, most recently, Pinterest.Their study showed a large and growing amount of digital video advertising campaigns running across all screens: desktop, laptop, mobile and connected TV.Along with their focus on extending ad buys across screens, marketers are also increasingly interested in social video advertising. A May 2016 study by Animoto found that over 70% of US marketers it polled planned to use social video ads in the coming 12 months, with Facebook leading the way among specific platforms, followed by Google’s YouTube and Facebook-owned Instagram.

While that portion of Animoto’s study was forward-looking, the company also tracked current usage of paid social video ad platforms by US marketers and found, again, that Facebook led by two-thirds representation, followed by YouTube at 39%, Instagram at 21.7% and the others at less than 20% each. While it’s arguable whether or not YouTube is a social ad platform, it’s clear that advertisers see Facebook as the pillar of their social video ad efforts, with YouTube not far behind.

Another area in which Facebook is disrupting the landscape is live video. The TMB/Advertiser Perceptions study cited earlier showed that majorities of US agency and marketing executives were considering investing in live streaming ads. Relatively few were ruling out this platform, so it’s reasonable to expect this to be a hotbed of interest in the coming months. The study didn’t specifically cite Facebook, but the social giant has already emerged as a key player in the live video area, having launched its Facebook Live platform in early 2016.Roy GartonFDMC Social & Digital Media ​www.floridadudemarketingconcepts.com

Video has been on the rise for a while, offering marketers great way to grab potential customer's attention and keep their target audience engaged. Live video streaming in particular has become increasingly popular as a tool for companies and groups to connect directly with their users, to gain greater product awareness, and to brand themselves creatively. To learn more about how to take advantage of the live streaming boom, here are some creative ways to use products like Snapchat, YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Periscope and Meerkat to successfully market your business or group.

Snapchat

Snapchat allows you to market outside the box while having fun doing it. GrubHub saw potential in Snapchat early on as a way to get more interactive with a younger demographic. Rather than post an intern application on a standard career search site, or on less targeted channels like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, GrubHub asked its Snapchat followers to apply using the app itself. The doodle request was an easy way for the company to assess creativity and confidence, while also tapping into their ideal intern pool. Snapchat is very popular right now with millennials and the under 30 market. Even Fortune 500 companies have taken advantage of Snapchat's huge marketing appeal. You can to!Taco Bell managed to become one of the most followed brands on Snapchat by uploading a six-minute Snap Story "movie" in increments of 10 seconds. The short film focused on the launch of their product, the Doritos Locos Taco, but the company also took things a step further. Taco Bell coordinated their campaign to align with the MTV Movie Awards, making it relevant to the event and, therefore, gaining greater reach and brand awareness.

YouTube Live

NASA is big YouTube Live hosting live videos as a way for space-interested audience members to learn more about the organization and its recent discoveries NASA recently, showed off some perks and pitfalls of the astronaut job. Participants used the hashtag #askAstro on their Twitter or Google+ to ask the NASA crew about life -- both personal and professional -- while aboard the craft, which were then answered in real time. The Hangout provided fascinating content, but also provided valuable information to those interested in that career path. YouTube Live has replaced Google + Hangouts and has proven to be a much more effective video tool from Google.

Facebook Live

Who doesn't love a good laugh? BuzzFeed decided to try out Facebook Live with a video purely for fans' entertainment. Two BuzzFeeders explored how many rubber bands it takes to explode a watermelon, which lasted about 45 minutes.According to Facebook , at the time, more people tuned in to watch the stream than any other live video on Facebook -- reaching over 800,000 viewers at its peak. Now, the video has over 10 million views, creating a ton of social and site traffic, just for doing something fun. CES is an annual event hosted by the Consumer Technology Association to showcase innovation technologies and products from across the world. During the 2016 event, Chevrolet debuted its newest car model, the 2017 Bolt EV. But rather than limit its audience to only those able to attend CES 2016, Chevrolet live streamed the event, giving all of the company's fans a chance to tune in and learn more about the product. Chevrolet also responded to Facebook comments in real time to keep its audience engaged with the video and answer any relevant questions.

Periscope

General Electric used Periscope to launch a five-day live streaming campaign called #droneweek. GE enabled Periscope on a group of drones to give their audience a real-time, bird's eye view of their facilities, featuring not only some of their industrial machinery, but also interviews with GE scientists and tech experts. GE managed to showcase five different facilities across the country, and even created a Twitter @GEdronepilot to provide extra commentary and interact with viewers.

MeerKat

Meerkat, like Periscope can perform very similar functions and integrates with Twitter although not quite as popular, Meerkat has various functions that Periscope does not such as record saves and such so do check it out.

Ready to Try It?These are not the only live streaming platforms out there. Tons of applications and websites exist, and are used by millions of people every day. There's so much potential for brands and groups to use these outlets creatively to gain recognition, authority, and interest.

According to an online publisher's report, 80% of individuals can recall a video advertisement that they have seen in the past 30 days. This is a staggering statistic for small businesses especially when you think about how many will actually buy that product or at the very least learn more about it.If you or your marketing people are considering adding video to your marketing campaigns, here is a three-step guide to doing so effectively.

Determine your campaign goals.

Before you begin taping your spot, consider what you wish to accomplish with your campaign. Is your goal to raise brand awareness with a story? Or are you hoping to convince consumers to switch to your product or service with a testimonial? Once you have identified your goals, you can determine how to best achieve them. If, for example, your anticipated videos will be very complex, you may wish to storyboard your narrative, and hire a video production company, rather than assemble an in-house team. Your budget and timeline may also influence your campaign goals.

Select your medium and platform.

In our digital age, video can mean any number of things. For instance, a live stream on a social media platform, like Facebook or a more traditional long-form film. There are also multiple distribution options. Television commercials are no longer a company’s sole option when deciding how to release video content, We now have social platforms even down to sources like Instagram, Snapchat and Vine which you can do shorter versions of your ad. With proper data tracking, you can test multiple platforms - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube -- to determine which are most effective for your video campaigns. In certain instances, you may find that two or more platforms work equally well. For instance, if you have a 10-minute video, you could host it in its entirety on your website; post a three- to five-minute clip on YouTube, and a 30-second clip on Facebook and Twitter. Whenever possible, maximize your content, and optimize it for your distribution channels with effectiveness in mind. This may include basic considerations, like the maximum video length allowed on each platform, as well as specifics like the necessity of subtitles or the placement of your calls-to-action (CTAs) on Facebook. For example, many people scroll through their feeds in public or at work, when a high volume level is not necessarily appropriate. Similarly, embedded CTAs, like those available on YouTube, may suit some platforms more than others.

Review the technical aspects.

Incorporating video into your organization’s marketing campaigns requires a degree of technical care. Aspects like resolution, frame rate and load time can affect your campaign success, so it is critical to test your video on the platforms you choose. For example, if your file is large, it may take too long to load on mobile devices. Rather than wait, viewers on platforms like Vimeo and YouTube may abandon your video before it begins to play. You may also wish to track how many people discovered your offering as a result of the video as well as completion rate and drop-off points. How many viewers watch the full video? And if they don't, at what points do they abandon it?Other metrics to consider include number of views - both total views and views over time; the latter of which can measure whether your video is becoming more or less popular -- and number of click-throughs to your website

In Conclusion.

Viewing video footage accounts for one-third of all Internet activity. For both new and established companies, enriching marketing campaigns with video content can help you reach and better engage your target audience. While obviously I always suggest using a professional video production company like ours for best results, these suggestions are always good to help maximize your video campaign.

Getting your small business into the marketing world can be expensive and tough. Everyone has their hand out trying to tell you how they can make you bigger and better and get noticed...for a price. This is when reality sets in and you understand the importance of every dollar.While marketing and advertising your business is a crucial factor to your success, another important step is effectively marketing your business. Fortunately, there are hundreds of free digital marketing tools that can greatly impact your business. Below are a few of the best, free, (yes I said free) online marketing tools for small business owners 1. Hootsuite For Social Media Management I’d be remiss to put Buffer on this list and not include Hootsuite. While Buffer is a great tool for scheduling posts, Hootsuite really taps into the central social management platform. I personally use Hootsuite for total management of my social media and for some of my clients. Its free plan allows you to sync three social media profiles, which is a great place to start for most entrepreneurs. The benefit of Hootsuite is its ability to let you quickly respond and post across all your social profiles in one easy-to-use dashboard.2. Build a logo with Spaces’ free logo maker.Branding is one of the most critical steps when marketing your business, and the logo is arguably the most important part of your branding. Fortunately, with tools like Spaces’ free logo maker, you no longer have to waste resources on hiring a designer to interpret your vision of the perfect logo. Using its library, filled with hundreds of icons, frames and font classes, you can create a stunning logo that expresses your brand identity without any design training and without spending any money. The designs are basic and limited but with some creative thinking, you can come up with some pretty cool designs.3. Use Canva for easy designing.Visual content is becoming an increasingly popular form of marketing collateral. From custom illustrations and infographics to fully-designed sales proposals, visual content is a fantastic way for new businesses to gain credibility and build a professional appearance. There are several free graphic design tools on the market, but one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use is Canva. Its free library of fonts, illustrations, templates and images give you a pool of graphics that you can easily drag-and-drop. From flyers and brochures to social media images and infographics, you can create it all for free in Canva.4. Use Evernote For MarketingWhen it comes to marketing your business, organization is critical. Ideas may come to you at any hour of the day. If you’re not able to organize and prioritize your notes, you may not be able to capitalize on opportunities. Evernote will help you capture ideas, inspiration and trends, all while storing it in one easily accessible location. You can access it on your phone, laptop or tablet, making it the perfect tool for finding and storing content ideas, market research, brainstorming and competitive analyses.5. Use SurveyMonkey Create Consumer Information CaptureSurveyMonkey is one of the most popular free online survey tools. Surveys are a good way to collect consumer information, engage customers, uncover trends and secure tangible insights on your business. SurveyMonkey’s software is incredibly simple. In just a few minutes, you can design, create and publish your own business survey. Additionally, you’ll be able to analyze the results.6. Use Mailchimp For Email MarketingEmail marketing is imperative to the success of most businesses. While building a brand on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are important, you’re limited to the constraints of those channels. This makes it particularly difficult to move consumers through a funnel and provides you with relatively little control. However, email provides a more intimate interaction between brand and consumer by offering you the tools you need to control effectively nurture leads. Mailchimp is an excellent free email marketing tool and one of the easiest for newbies to learn.7. Use Sniply For Growth HackingWhen you’re using social media regularly, you should also be sharing content from other, reputable experts in your industry. Sharing similar content will help you build trust with your audience, supplement your content, and also help build rapport with those relevant industry experts. Sniply is a powerful tool that allows you to attach a call-to-action on every piece of content you share. Because the content you are sharing lives on a website that you don’t control, there is very little chance that the user will visit your site after reading the article. However, Sniply allows you to put a inbound button or CTA into a frame that the article sits inside. Thus, giving you some control of the platform and perpetuating traffic from the non-affiliated content that you share.8. Use Scraper For Competitor InformationScraper is cool. It lets you easily pull content from a web page and export it into an Excel spreadsheet. It’s a neat way to extract contact information or other information from your competition. Once you have this data, you can use it to create cold call email lists, content topics, and other marketing information. The data you get can be priceless at times.

I value LinkedIn. If you think of LinkedIn as a large database of resumes and nothing else, you’re so wrong. It’s a rich source of information and a social network. If you’re in sales, and you’re not using LinkedIn, I’m surprised. If you’re hiring and not using LinkedIn, I’m even more amazed at you.I Here are the ways to strengthen your business using LinkedIn.

Use Linkedin To See What Your Competitors Are Doing

What your competition is up to should shape your business strategy. If you don’t know much about your customers’ other options, you can’t develop an edge and keep gaining market share.You can use LinkedIn to unearth answers to many of your questions about competitors. Here’s some basic information that a LinkedIn search will reveal.How many employees does a competitor have? How many did they have six months ago - in other words, how fast are they growing? What kind of employees are they hiring? In general, recent hires provide clues to a company’s current focus. Furthermore, in many small-to-medium businesses, there are star employees, who are responsible for significant amounts of development, sales, marketing and other important aspects of the business. Knowing who to target and getting them to defect and work for you instead can really help your business.

Use it for networking.

“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” sounds a bit redundant these days but that’s mainly because the website is so ubiquitous. Every professional has a LinkedIn profile.Some are better than others. I add people I know to my network, but I also turn to Linkedin to find "key" people I know who will help my business grow and help me find contacts. Many of your contacts will get you an introduction to other people you might want to network with.

Use it for advertising.

LinkedIn Ads enable excellent targeting for any kind of enterprise outreach. They provide roughly the same media options as a Facebook Ad, with an audience of purely professionals. You can narrow down that audience by using criteria like industry, company size and job title. The fine-grained targeting means that none of your ad spend is wasted on people you don’t care about. Let’s say you’re selling software to make real estate agents more productive. Target every real estate agency in whichever geography you want, and then drill down to specific job titles so you’re reaching the people who make purchasing decisions.LinkedIn Ads are the quickest way to contact this audience without doing hundreds of hours of laborious legwork.

Use it for recruiting.

This one should be a no-brainer. LinkedIn is the first place I look for specialists. No better way to target specific skills and experiences so that you find exactly who you’re looking for. LinkedIn is also a great way to find desirable hires who aren’t actively seeking a job. If you’re the one looking for a job, keep your profile updated, add a summary, and add depth to your list of previous work experiences. Make sure to include a professional photo. I have seen some images on Linkedin for head shots that I could not believe. And these so called business professionals think anyone will take them seriously? Time to grow up and get into the real world. You are not in college anymore my friend. LinkedIn is much more than just an online resume database. The information and network can used for all sorts of different purposes, Take advantage of what Linkedin has to offer in research, their internal website for your business and groups you can join. ​-Roy